I have been on a mostly fruitless quest to try and find a way to make use of Fanatical Devotion and the unblockable hit it helps push through. This led me down the familiar path of the TIE Defender and what horrible things I could do with an ion cannon or tractor beam that couldn't be stopped, and I took a short journey through the what if's of a star wing with ion pulse missiles that always found their mark. I think Vessery or a cheap star wing would be a good intendent for Fanatical Devotion, but I'm having trouble with the carrier and potential third ship. My favorite so far is putting him on board RAC, although I lose the chance of a third ship. I had some success with an upsilon and Omega Leader, although Pure Sabacc felt like a more effective wingman. I'm looking for suggestions and changes to my set up and try to get some utility out of this. Thanks all for your input!

Setup 1: RAC and Vess

• RAC (46)
  • Experimental Interface (3)
  • Dauntless (2)
  • VI (1)
  • General Hux (5)
  • Inspiring Recruit (1)
  • Intelligence Agent (1)
• Vessery (35)
  • TIE mk. II (1)
  • TIE/D (0)
  • VI (1)
  • Ion Cannon (3)

Total: 99 points (97 with tractor beam in place of ion cannon)

Setup 2: Upsilon, Vess and OL

• Omega Leader (21)
  • A Score to Settle (0)
• Vessery (35)
  • TIE/D (0)
  • VI (1)
  • Tractor Beam (1)
• Starkiller Base Pilot (30)
  • FCS (2)
  • General Hux (5)
  • Weapons Engineer (3)
  • PA (2)

Total: 100

Systems Officer is kind of counterproductive with LRS since you still can't acquire a TL at less than range 3. That's also a lot of ordnance on Vynder when you're likely to be reloading each round without Adv SLAM. Who is the main target for devotion in that list? I could see either starwing wanting it at different times.

Ive been flying hux alot latelyand have settled on this build

TIE/sf Fighter: · "Quickdraw" (29)
Veteran Instincts (1)
Fire Control System (2)
Lightweight Frame (2)
Special Ops Training (0)
Sensor Cluster (2)

Lambda-Class Shuttle: Omicron Group Pilot (21)
Flechette Cannon (2)
Advanced Sensors (3)
· General Hux (5)

TIE Aggressor: · "Lieutenant Kestal" (22)
Predator (3)
Twin Laser Turret (6)
Lightweight Frame (2)
-- TOTAL ------- 100/100p. --

Theres a few variants that i make now and again. Swapping out kestal with backdraft or putting anti pursuit on the shuttle.

It works really well but one wrong move or lack of planning where the shuttle is going will loose you the game

Are you using devotion on the lambda there? You don't lose much defensively and getting the stress through could be alright. Do you think that is as impactful or more so than a tractor beam or ion cannon?

21 minutes ago, Jimbawa said:

Systems Officer is kind of counterproductive with LRS since you still can't acquire a TL at less than range 3. That's also a lot of ordnance on Vynder when you're likely to be reloading each round without Adv SLAM. Who is the main target for devotion in that list? I could see either starwing wanting it at different times.

1 minute ago, Jimbawa said:

Are you using devotion on the lambda there? You don't lose much defensively and getting the stress through could be alright. Do you think that is as impactful or more so than a tractor beam or ion cannon?

I tend to use it more on quick draw . He normally has first shot so nice to get the damage through . I take focus too so that can be used for sensor cluster. Also if your sitting there with a tl focus and devotion people dont generally shoot you .

The fletchette cannon is mainly for r3 shots . They dont get a range bonus and one damage at r3 is pretty average, if it deals a stress its an even bigger bonus .

Tractor beam is worthless on the lowest ps pilot in the squad imo.

Ion, i just cant fit it in without messing with the other builds .

Can you still use sensor cluster while you have fanatical devotion? It says you can't spend focus tokens while defending, but doesn't specify any particular uses of focus tokens.

Yes you are right. What i meant was if he doesnt take devotion he has it for sensor cluster and if he does have devotion nobody wants to shoot him as it can trigger his ability with a potential uncancelable hit

Here's another question. With a Hux shuttle and 2 star wings, what about using harpoon missiles and a mangler cannon? The first star wing shoots the missile with double mods available, possibly guidance chips. Then the Mangler cannon with rerolls fishes for a focus with TL and devotion. It then turns the unblockable hit into an unblockable crit and sets off the harpoon. Does that all work together?

5 minutes ago, Jimbawa said:

Here's another question. With a Hux shuttle and 2 star wings, what about using harpoon missiles and a mangler cannon? The first star wing shoots the missile with double mods available, possibly guidance chips. Then the Mangler cannon with rerolls fishes for a focus with TL and devotion. It then turns the unblockable hit into an unblockable crit and sets off the harpoon. Does that all work together?

Why would it turn a hit into an unblockable crit? With devotion they can cancel crits before hits so not sure it would work.

Iam on my phone so i cant check all the cards you mentioned.

Also ill be trying the gunboat with the hux shuttle for sure . I did originally have rexlar but i find the defender need to be able to fly wherever they want and with x7 they cant fly within 1-2 of the shuttle and be effective

With fanatical devotion, you set aside the first die you change with a focus and that hit can't be canceled. It doesn't say you can't continue modifying that die though.

I wouldnt have thought so as the devotion card actually shows a hit symbol and says a hit result cannot be cancelled by dice and not " that dice cannot be cancelled" . If it changes to a crit it wont match what it says on the card . Thats my take on it but i dont know for sure

It does specify the set-aside hit result, so I'm not sure if modifying it again removes it's protection from being cancelled. I'll run it by my local TO and see what he thinks.

Am I trying too hard to push through some kind of effect and should it just be used to push any damage through? I'm figuring since it's such a costly investment I'm looking to get some serious returns, but maybe that doesn't need to be the case.

I dont use it for the devotion . I use it as it dishes out 3 focus tokens . Thats a massive help, look how effective mindlink is. With this shuttle you can have some fairly beefed up aces flying with it but it does have drawbacks ,

Staying close to the shuttle( but remember you can brake away from it as the ships are capable on their own )

To use hux right and you need to be doing green moves for a majority of the time, so planning a route for the shuttle is essential that can lead to a decent opportunity to turn around . (Its actually harder than you think) but on the way it can do some blocking or cause no end of trouble. Advanced sensors will let you hux before moving so no worries about bumping

Hux's Rhoboats

With this build, everyone is staying close, using SLAM only in emergencies, and if so, SO can get the target lock for them

1 hour ago, Jimbawa said:

It does specify the set-aside hit result, so I'm not sure if modifying it again removes it's protection from being cancelled. I'll run it by my local TO and see what he thinks.

I would, if asked, rule it the other way: the act of "setting it aside" removes it from the modifiable pool of dice , leaving it with the same status as (say) a hit result added by Fearlessness.

At the same time, this is definitely something to confirm with a TO before assuming one way or another.

My local TO said he would look around and see what he finds, but his gut reaction was once it was modified again, it was no longer the "set-aside hit result" and therefore was not protected by the fanatical devotion. Which I think I can live with, an unblockable crit to trigger Kylo or Harpoons would be nasty and quite probably cause balance issues.

I did manage to get in a few games today against triple starvipers and imperial aces using RAC and Vess. It wrecked both lists pretty hard initially, but a string of bad dice had vessery on his own against first Guri then Vader and he ended up losing against both. It lacks a strong closer and RAC will almost certainly get focused down early, so maybe a shuttle and 3 ship build is where I should take it.

Best I can do:

Upsilon-class Shuttle: · Major Stridan (32)
· General Hux (5)
Systems officer (2)
TIE Defender: · Colonel Vessery (35)
Veteran Instincts (1)
TIE/x7 (-2)
TIE/fo Fighter: · "Omega Leader" (21)
Juke (2)
Comm Relay (3)
-- TOTAL ------- 99/100p. --

Upsilon-class Shuttle

Major Stridan (32) 43

Advanced Sensors (3)

Intelligence Agent (1)

General Hux (5)

Kylo Ren's Shuttle (2)

3x TIE Striker

Imperial Trainee (17) 19

Adaptive Ailerons (0)

Lightweight Frame (2)

You can do some really shifty things with Strikers. Their movement with Hux support is great as you can token up or swoop around into unexpected spots. Intel agent and Kylo Ren's shuttle locate and limit enemy ships. Advanced Sensors makes the Hux immune to bumping.